Vegetarian mini-rant

I became an almost-vegan about a year ago after reading The China Study. I gave giving up meat and dairy a try for 30 days, and I discovered to my surprise that I felt so much better all around that I needed to keep at it.

So I’ve been a not-so-strict vegan for the better part of a year now, eating a little fish and a bit of cheese every now and again, still trying to find my way. I’ve lost weight, I feel better, my cholesterol has dropped, and I’m enjoying myself.

The mini-rant is about salads.

Somehow the moment you say you’re not eating meat people thrust a salad at you. Not an eggplant or mushrooms or broccoli or pulses or grains or rice or pasta or rutabaga. A salad. A big pile of lettuce with some oil and vinegar on it.

Don’t get me wrong, I like salads, I eat plenty of them, I just don’t eat any more of them now than I did before I started this crazy food experiment.

I know it’s all very well-intentioned and done with love, but there’s gotta be more to this than salad. Please!

Published by Sasha

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8 thoughts on “Vegetarian mini-rant”

Hi Sasha-
I hear you brother. And, in response, I have to give a positive plug to bon appetite magazine’s January issue. My family has been cutting out animal products as well…and we had a Gourmet subscription that transferred to bon appetite once Gourmet closed shop.
And, we were certain that we were not going to renew since many of the recipes are meat based; however, in the Jan issue there are many vegetarian/vegan surprises. I just tried Cauliflower Steaks with Olive Relish and Tomato sauce which was easy and delicious.

And, the letter from the editor was a nice surprise as well…he talked about consuming less meat and eating more veges which is not only good for us, but good for the planet as well.

So- check it out, and when someone pushes the salad you can ask them if they have any cauliflower in the fridge!

Haha. Amen! I too went vegan-lite after reading The China Study and other similar items and it is so true that people push salads in your face all the time. There is so much other delicious vegan food that people don’t realize. Great to hear about another guy pursuing a meat-free diet!

I was a vegetarian for about 15 years and am now a veg-lite. The salad thing pales in comparison to the concoctions created by well-intentioned chefs at large fundraising events. Not saying I’m pining for the chicken concoction that is generally the alternative, but the veg option always seems to imply that if you’re not eating meat, you must be on a diet.

Good for you for making a decision that makes you feel awesome, even if it comes with some irksome moments.

In a related vein, green salad as a “diet” item is frequently a self-deception. Load on enough Bleu Cheese dressing and it is no longer low-calorie or low cholesterol. Bean salad–lentils, chickpeas, etc.–is more nutritional, is a good source of protein and produces a better sensation of satiety (key to helping you avoid snacking or other unhealthy temptations).

Hey everyone, your comments have really made me smile! Lori I’ll check out that issue (which seems to be here but I don’t see the recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/toc/january_2011_toc). Erica, I hear you – and definitely am not on a diet! Ross, that’s part of my whole salad problem – it’s often not even all that healthy! Thanks all.

I agree with sentiment you have. In India lot of people are “Vegetarian”, meaning they dont eat meat, but do eat all dairy products as such. But that does not stop us from being healthy. We have lentils for proteins, and spices for test, and Indian culinary taste is known to world. For my personal experience, I ventured into trying chicken in my college days, but could not sustain for long. So I am a vegetarian by choice, and I would say I have more than enough choice to eat healthy and tasty food 🙂